HOMELESSNESS

For families and individuals who for any number of reasons may find themselves without shelter, Murfreesboro’s mission to create a better quality of life comes to life through programs that receive technical and financial assistance from the Community Development Department.

View a brochure listing agencies providing homeless services. As part of the data gathering process for the 2015-20 Consolidated Plan, more than 275 residents participated in a survey covering homelessness in the city. See Murfreesboro’s Action Plan for more information about the City’s initiatives for serving the homeless and those in danger of becoming homeless.

Homeless Alliance of Rutherford County (HARC)

Membership in the Homeless Alliance of Rutherford County is open to interested individuals and relevant organizations, including – but not limited to – nonprofit homeless assistance providers, victim service providers, faith-based organizations, governments, businesses, advocates, public housing agencies, school districts, social service providers, mental health agencies, hospitals, colleges and universities, affordable housing developers, law enforcement and organizations that serve veterans. The Community Development Department represents the Mayor on the HARC Executive Committee. Find out more about HARC.
The general membership of the Homeless Alliance of Rutherford County (HARC) meets quarterly. Meetings in 2017

Point in Time Count

Developing a strategy to address homelessness and associated issues requires good data. To that end, HARC participates in the annual Point in Time Count sponsored by HUD. The annual count is conducted during the last 10 days of January. View the results of the 2017 Point in Time Count. On the night of the count, the Service Delivery Working Group and additional volunteers gather demographic information on all persons identified as homeless, both sheltered and unsheltered. The data collected is entered into a HUD data base and this information helps HUD and Congress develop policy and programs. If you are interested in volunteering to assist with the Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Point in Time Count, contact the Service Delivery Working group.

Cold Patrol, a nonprofit agency that assists with the Coldest Nights shelter program, has developed a slide show that pulls together data on local homelessness.

Emergency Solutions Grant

The City uses its Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) allocation to fund grants to agencies that provide direct services to the homeless and those in danger of becoming homeless. Find out more about ESG and the agencies currently receiving ESG funding.

Continuum of Care Housing Program

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designed the Continuum of Care Program to promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness and to provide funding for efforts to quickly re-house the homeless. The task force is the primary decision making body for the Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Continuum of Care. Find out more about the Continuum of Care Program.The City of Murfreesboro is the collaborative applicant for HUD’s Continuum of Care Housing Program. See the most recent application.